Melting and Solidification Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Phase-Change Material in a Latent Heat Storage Vessel: Effects of a Perforated Partition Plate and Metal Fiber

Today, latent heat storage technology has advanced to allow reuse of waste heat in the middle-temperature range. This paper describes an approach to develop a latent heat storage system using middle-temperature waste heat (~100oC - 200oC) from factories. Direct contact melting and solidification behavior between a heat-transfer fluid (oil) and a latent heat storage material mixture were observed. The mixture consisted of mannitol and erythritol (Cm = 70 mass %, Ce = 30 mass %) as a phase-change material (PCM). The weight of the PCM was 3.0 kg and the flow rate of the oil, foil, was 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 kg/min. To decrease the solidified height of the PCM mixture during the solidification process, a perforated partition plate was installed in the PCM region in the heat storage vessel. PCM coated oil droplets were broken by the perforated partition plate, preventing the solidified height of the PCM from increasing. The solidification and melting processes were repeated using metal fiber. It was found that installing the metal fiber was more effective than installing the perforated partition plate to prevent the flow out problem of the PCM.

Universal memory based on phase-change materials:From phase-change random access memory to optoelectronic hybrid storage

The era of information explosion is coming and information need to be continuously stored and randomly accessed over long-term periods,which constitute an insurmountable challenge for existing data centers.At present,computing devices use the von Neumann architecture with separate computing and memory units,which exposes the shortcomings of“memory bottleneck”.Nonvolatile memristor can realize data storage and in-memory computing at the same time and promises to overcome this bottleneck.Phase-change random access memory(PCRAM)is called one of the best solutions for next generation non-volatile memory.Due to its high speed,good data retention,high density,low power consumption,PCRAM has the broad commercial prospects in the in-memory computing application.In this review,the research progress of phase-change materials and device structures for PCRAM,as well as the most critical performances for a universal memory,such as speed,capacity,and power consumption,are reviewed.By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of phase-change optical disk and PCRAM,a new concept of optoelectronic hybrid storage based on phase-change material is proposed.Furthermore,its feasibility to replace existing memory technologies as a universal memory is also discussed as well.

Heat transfer and parametric studies of an encapsulated phase change material based cool thermal energy storage system

This work investigates the transient behaviour of a phase change material based cool thermal energy storage (CTES) system comprised of a cylindrical storage tank filled with encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) in spherical container integrated with an ethylene glycol chiller plant. A simulation program was developed to evaluate the temperature histories of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and the phase change material at any axial location during the charging period. The results of the model were validated by comparison with experimental results of temperature profiles of HTF and PCM. The model was also used to investigate the effect of porosity, Stanton number, Stefan number and Peclet number on CTES system performance. The results showed that increase in porosity contributes to a higher rate of energy storage. However, for a given geometry and heat transfer coefficient, the mass of PCM charged in the unit decreases as the increase in porosity. The St number as well as the Ste number is also influential in the performance of the unit. The model is a convenient and more suitable method to determine the heat transfer characteristics of CTES system. The results reported are much useful for designing CTES system.

Fabrication of Al_2O_3-NaCl Composite Heat Storage Materials by One-step Synthesis Method

Thermal energy storage is an attractive option for effectiveness since it gives flexibility and reduces energy consumption and costs. New composite materials for storage and transformation of heat of NaCl-Al2O3composite materials were synthesized by one-step synthesis method. The chemical composition, morphology, structure, and thermal properties were investigated by XRD, EDS, SEM, and DSC. The results show that NaCl can be absorbed by Al2O3particle from 800 to 900 ℃ for Al2O3particle surface is rich active structure. The results also indicate that the leakage of NaCl when the phase change can be prevented by Al2O3particles and the enthalpy of phase change of NaCl-Al2O3material is 362 J/g. The composites have an excellent heat storage capacity. Therefore, this study contributes to one new thought and method to prepare high temperature heat storage material and this material can be applied in future thermal engineering.

Time-Temperature Charge Function of a High Dynamic Thermal Heat Storage with Phase Change Material

A thermal heat storage system with an energy content of 40 kWh and a temperature of 58°C will be presented. This storage system is suitable for supporting the use of renewable energies in buildings and for absorbing solar heat, heat from co-generation and heat pumps or electric heat from excess wind and solar power. The storage system is equipped with a plate heat exchanger that is so powerful that even with small temperature differences between the flow temperature and the storage temperature a high load dynamic is achieved. The storage system has a performance of 2.8 kW at 4 K and 10.6 kW at a temperature difference of 10 K. Thus, large performance variations in solar thermal systems or CHP plants can be buffered very well. Further a storage charge function Q(T, t) will be presented to characterize the performance of the storage.

Preparation and characterizations of heat storage material combining porous metal with molten salt

A new type of heat storage materials combining high temperature molten salts phases change latent heat thermal storage materials, PCM with porous metals sensible heat thermal storage materials was developed. The process was expressed as following: firstly, it is necessary to heat up the molten salts phases change materials to molten; and then the porous metals are put into the molten bath; after being held for 13 h, the composite heat thermal storage materials lumps are taken out of the molten bath and cooled to atmospheric temperature; the last step is to electrodeposit a layer metal coat on the surface of the material lumps. The new type of heat storage material integrates the advantages of both solid sensible heat thermal storage materials and high temperature phases change latent heat thermal storage materials. The metal base heat storage materials enjoy some favorable characteristics such as higher heat charge discharge rate, higher heat storage density and better mechanical strength.

Numerical Study of Thermal Performance of Phase Change Material Energy Storage Floor in Solar Water Heating System

The conventional solar heating floor system contains a big water tank to store energy in the day time for heating at night,which takes much building space and is very heavy.In order to reduce the water tank volume even to cancel the tank,a novel structure of integrated water pipe floor heating system using shape-stabilized phase change materials(SSPCM)for thermal energy storage was developed.A numerical model was developed to analyze the performance of SSPCM floor heating system under the intermittent heating condition,which was verified by our experimental data.The thermal performance of the heating system and the effects of various factors on it were analyzed numerically.The factors including phase transition temperature,heat of fusion,thermal conductivity of SSPCM and thermal conductivity of the decoration material were analyzed.The results show that tm and kd are the most import influencing factors on the thermal performance of SSPCM floor heating system,since they determine the heat source temperature and thermal resistance between SSPCM plates and indoor air,respectively.Hm should be large to store enough thermal energy in the day time for nighttimes heating.The effects of kp can be ignored in this system.The SSPCM floor heating system has potential of making use of the daytime solar energy for heating at night efficiently in various climates when its structure is properly designed.

Thermal energy storage inside the chamber with a brick wall using the phase change process of paraffinic materials:A numerical simulation

Phase change materials are one of the potential resources to replace fossil fuels in regards of supplying the energy of buildings.Basically,these materials absorb or release heat energy with the help of their latent heat.Phase change materials have low thermal conductivity and this makes it possible to use the physical properties of these materials in the tropical regions where the solar radiation is more direct and concentrated over a smaller area.In this theoretical work,an attempt has been made to study the melting process of these materials by applying constant heat flux and temperature.It was found that by increasing the thickness of phase change materials’layers,due to the melting,more thermal energy is stored.Simultaneously it reduces the penetration of excessive heat into the chamber,so that by increasing the thickness of paraffin materials up to 20 mm,the rate of temperature reduction reaches more than 18%.It was also recognized that increasing the values of constant input heat flux increases buoyancy effects.Increasing the Stefan number from 0.1 to 0.3,increases the temperature by 6%.

Operating performance of novel reverse-cycle defrosting method based on thermal energy storage for air source heat pump

To solve the fundamental problem of insufficient heat available during defrosting while ensuring the efficient and safe system operation for air-source heat pumps (ASHPs). A novel reverse-cycle defrosting (NRCD) method based on thermal energy storage to eliminate frost off the outdoor coil surface was developed. Comparative experiments using both the stand reverse cycle defrosting (SRCD) method and the NRCD method were carried out on an experimental ASHP unit with a nominal 2.5 kW heating capacity. The results indicate that during defrosting operation, using the NRCD method improves discharge and suction pressures by 0.24 MPa and 0.19 MPa, respectively, shortens defrosting duration by 60%, and reduces the defrosting energy consumption by 48.1% in the experimental environment, compared with those by the use of SRCD method. Therefore, using the NRCD method can shorten the defrosting duration, improve the indoor thermal comfort, and reduce the defrosting energy consumption in defrosting.

Study on performance of a packed bed latent heat thermal energy storage unit integrated with solar water heating system

In thermal systems such as solar thermal and waste heat recovery systems, the available energy supply does not usually coincide in time with the process demand. Hence some form of thermal energy storage (TES) is necessary for the most effective utilization of the energy source. This study deals with the experimental evaluation of thermal performance of a packed bed latent heat TES unit integrated with solar flat plate collector. The TES unit contains paraffin as phase change material (PCM) filled in spherical capsules, which are packed in an insulated cylindrical storage tank. The water used as heat transfer fluid (HTF) to transfer heat from the solar collector to the storage tank also acts as sensible heat storage material. Charging experiments were carried out at varying inlet fluid temperatures to examine the effects of porosity and HTF flow rate on the storage unit performance. The performance parameters such as instantaneous heat stored, cumulative heat stored, charging rate and system efficiency are studied. Discharging experiments were carried out by both continuous and batchwise processes to recover the stored heat, and the results are presented.

Numerical Assessment on Fin Design Parameters Employed for Augmentation of Natural Convection and Fluid Flow in a Horizontal Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Unit

The present work focus on the thermal performance of a horizontal concentric heat exchanger, which is numerically investigated to evaluate the heat transfer enhancement process by adding fins with different configurations. As a part of this investigation, the melting process is simulated from the onset of phase change to the offset involving physics of natural convection in PCM fluid pool. The investigation is carried out by ANSYS Fluent code, which is an efficient numerical analysis tool for investigating fluid flow and convective heat transfer phenomena during PCM melting process. The attention is mainly focused on the extension of contact area between the PCM body and cylindrical capsule to enhance heat transfer rates to PCM bodies during the melting process by employing longitudinal fins in the enclosed capsule. Two commercial PCMs: RT50 and C58, are introduced in a 2D cylindrical pipe with their thermo-physical properties as input for modelling. The selected modelling approach is validated against experimental result with respect to the total enthalpy changes that qualify our model to run in the proceeding calculation. It is ensured that an isothermal boundary condition (373 K) is applied to the inner pipe throughout the series of simulation cases and the corresponding Rayleigh number (Ra) ranges from 104 - 105 and Prandtl number (Pr) 0.05 - 0.07. Finally, parametric study is carried out to evaluate the effect of length, thickness and number of longitudinal fins on the thermal performance of PCM-LHTES (Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage) system associated with the physics of natural convection process during PCM melting.

Preparation and phase change performance of Na_2HPO_4·12H_2O@poly(lactic acid) capsules for thermal energy storage

Micro-encapsulated phase-change materials(micro PCMs) with Na_2 HPO_4·12 H_2 O encapsulated in poly(lactic acid)(PLA) shell were prepared by a solvent evaporation–precipitation method that involves the use of a coaxial needle. The effects of PLA concentration, stirring speed, injection rate of core and shell solutions, and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) concentration on phase change properties were investigated. The thermal properties of microP CMs were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). The capsules prepared under the optimal conditions are about 2 mm in diameter and show a latent heat of up to 122.2 J·g^(-1).

Heat Absorbing and Releasing Experiments with Improved Phase-change Thermal Storage Canisters

This article,based on authors＇ long-term study,proposes an improved foamed-Ni-packed phase-change thermal storage canister,which takes advantage of the foamed-Ni characteristic of instinctive porous structure and excellent properties to ameliorate its void distribution and thermal conductivity. The improved canister and the unimproved one without foamed-Ni package,are put to heat absorbing and releasing tests to investigate the effects of heat absorbing temperature upon the phase-change materials （PCM） melting time under three temperature schemes by using platinum resistance thermometers （PT100） and data acquisition modules （ADAM-4000） to gather the data of varying temperature. Afterwards,the computerized tomography （CT） is employed to scan the void distribution in both canisters. Compared to the unimproved canister,the experimental results evidence the superiority of the improved one in higher uniformity in void and temperature distribution as well as faster thermal responses.

Advances in thermal energy storage development at the German Aerospace Center(DLR)

Thermal energy storage(TES)is a key technology for renewable energy utilization and the improvement of the energy efficiency of heat processes.Sectors include industrial process heat and conventional and renewable power generation.TES systems correct the mismatch between supply and demand of thermal energy.In the medium to high temperature range(100~1000℃),only limited storage technology is commercially available and a strong effort is needed to develop a range of storage technologies which are efficient and economical for the very specific requirements of the different application sectors.At the DLR's Institute of Technical Thermodynamics,the complete spectrum of high temperature storage technologies,from various types of sensible over latent heat to thermochemical heat storages are being developed.Different concepts are proposed depending on the heat transfer fluid(synthetic oil,water/steam,molten salt,air)and the required temperature range.The aim is the development of cost effective,efficient and reliable thermal storage systems.Research focuses on characterization of storage materials,enhancement of internal heat transfer,design of innovative storage concepts and modelling of storage components and systems.Demonstration of the storage technology takes place from laboratory scale to field testing(5 kW^1 MW).The paper gives an overview on DLR's current developments.

Thermal Distribution Performance of NPCM: NaCl, NaNO₃and KNO₃in the Thermal Storage System

The experiment is studied on thermal distribution in the thermal energy storage system with non-phase change materials (NPCM): NaNO3, KNO3 and NaCl in the range of 25°C - 250°C. The cylindrical storage system was made of stainless steel with 25.6 cm-diameter and 26.8 cm-height that was contained of these NPCM. There was one pipe for heat transfer fluid (HTF) with 1.27 cm-diameter that manipulates in the storage tank and submerges to NPCM. The inner pipe was connected to the 2.27 cm-diameter outer HTF tube. The tube was further connected to the thermal pump, heater and load. The pump circulates the synthetic oil (Thermia oil) within the pipe for heat transferring purposes (charging and discharging). An electric heater is used as the heat source. The limitation of the charging oil temperature is maintained at 250°C with the flow rates in the range of 0.58 to 1.45 kg/s whereas the inlet temperature of the discharge oil is maintained at 25°C. Thermal performances of TES (thermal energy storage) such as charging and discharging times, radial thermal distribution, energy storage capacity and energy efficiency have been evaluated. The experimental results show that the radial thermal distribution of NaCl for TR inside, TR middle and TR outside was optimum of temperature down to NaNO3 and KNO3 respectively. Comparison of NPCMs with oil, flow rates for NaCl were charging and discharging heat transfer than KNO3 and NaNO3. The thermal stored NaCl ranged from 5712 - 5912 J;KNO3 ranged from 7350 - 7939 J and NaNO3 ranged from 6623 - 6930 J respectively. The thermal energy stored for experimental results got with along the KNO3, NaNO3 and NaCl respectively. The thermal energy efficiency of NaCl, KNO3 and NaNO3 was in the range 66% - 70%.

Research of Thermal Energy Storage Technology in the Solar Thermodynamic Power

Recently, although renewable energy has a great development, primary source is still thermal power generation, which uses fossil fuel as the energy source. Supply and demand of fossil fuel are essential for social and economy development. However, development pattern that excessively relies on the natural source is impossible to provide a sustainable development way for us. As a result, we should combine renewable energy with new energy technology as the aim of economy. It means that it is urgent to exploit new energy. Meanwhile, the ratio of energy waste cannot be ignored. How to decrease energy waste is also significant. Construction sector costs a lot of energy, which is mainly used for heating and refrigeration. In the new energy generation technology, thermal energy can be transformed to electricity with combination of BIPV and thermal energy storage technology. Photovoltaic generation has a great progress in the building construction. As a result, the thermal energy storage technology becomes the key link in the production chain. In this paper, feasibility of applying phase-change material (PCM) in the thermal energy storage will be analyzed. And analysis results are provided with a relative mathematical model.

Heat Transfer of Heat Sinking Vest with Phase-change Material

To investigate thermal protection effects of heat sinking vest with phase-change material （PCM）, human thermoregulation model is introduced, and a thermal mathematical model of heat transfer with phase change has been developed with the enthalpy method. The uniform energy equation is constructed for the whole domain, and the equation is implicitly discreted by control volume and finite difference method. Then the enthalpy in each node is solved by using chasing method to calculate the tridiagonal equations, and the inner surface temperature of PCM could be obtained. According to the human thermoregulation model of heat sinking vest, the dynamic temperature distribution and sweat of the body are solved. Calculation results indicate that the change of core temperature matches the experimental result, and the sweat difference is small. This thermal mathematical model of heat transfer with phase change is credible and appropriate. Through comparing the dynamic temperature distribution and sweat of the body wearing heat sinking vest to results of the body not wearing this clothing, it is evident that wearing heat sinking vest can reduce the body heat load significantly.

Experimental Investigation of Heat Storage and Heat Transfer Rates during Melting of Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials (NePCM) in a Differentially-Heated Rectangular Cavity

In this work, an experimental study of melting heat transfer of nano-enhanced phase change materials(NePCM) in a differentially-heated rectangular cavity was performed. Two height-to-width aspect ratios of the cavity, i.e., 0.9 and 1.5, were investigated. The model Ne PCM samples were prepared by dispersing graphene nanoplatelets(GNP) into 1-tetradecanol, having a nominal melting point of 37℃, at loadings up to 3 wt.%. The viscosity was found to have a more than 10-fold increase at the highest loading of GNP. During the melting experiments, the wall superheat at the heating boundary was set to be 10℃ or 30℃. It was shown that with increasing the loading of GNP, both the heat storage and heat transfer rates during melting decelerate to some extent, at all geometrical and thermal configurations. This suggested that the use of NePCM in such cavity may not be able to enhance the heat storage rate due to the dramatic growth in viscosity, which deteriorates significantly natural convective heat transfer during melting to overweigh the enhanced heat conduction by only a decent increase in thermal conductivity. This also suggested that the numerically predicted melting accelerations and heat transfer enhancements, as a result of the increased thermal conductivity, in the literature are likely overestimated because the negative effects due to viscosity growth are underestimated.

Heat Storage/Heat Release of Phase-Change Filling Body with Casing Heat Exchanger for Extracting Geothermal Energy

Arranging heat exchanger in filling body to extract geothermal energy is an effective way to alleviate the problems of high ground pressure and high ground temperature in deep resource exploitation.Filling body with casing heat exchanger was acted as research object,encapsulating phase change materials(PCMs)in annular space.During heat storage and heat release process,the effects of different PCMs on temperature distribution,phase-change process and heat transfer performance were studied.The result indicates:During heat storage process,the temperature increases rapidly and the melting process is accelerated for the position closer surrounding rock.CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O/EG can make filling body complete heat storage process in the shortest time because of its good thermal diffusivity.The heat storage capacity of PCMs backfill is significantly higher than that of ordinary backfill;it increases by 36.6%-67.3%at heat storage of 10 h.During heat release process,the closer to the heat exchange tube,the greater the temperature drop in filling body.The maximum value of heat release rate and heat release capacity is in CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O/EG backfill,it can release 116.4%more heat than RT35backfill after heat release of 12 h,the maximum value of effectiveness and its heat transfer rate also is in CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O/EG backfill.This paper provides the basic data for the selection of PCMs in phase-change thermal storage filling body.

Impact of Fin Arrangement on Heat Transfer and Melting Characteristics of Phase Change Material

Present work investigates the heat transfer and melting behaviour of phase change material(PCM) in six enclosures(enclosure-1 to 6) filled with paraffin wax.Proposed enclosures are equipped with distinct arrangements of the fins while keeping the fin's surface area equal in each case.Comparative analysis has been presented to recognize the suitable fin arrangements that facilitate improved heat transfer and melting rate of the PCM.Left wall of the enclosure is maintained isothermal for the temperature values 335 K,350 K and 365 K.Dimensionless length of the enclosure including fins is ranging between 0 and 1.Results have been illustrated through the estimation of important performance parameters such as energy absorbing capacity,melting rate,enhancement ratio,and Nusselt number.It has been found that melting time(to melt 100% of the PCM) is 60.5%less in enclosure-2(with two fins of equal length) as compared to the enclosure-1,having no fins.Keeping the fin surface area equal,if the longer fin is placed below the shorter fin(enclosure-3),melting time is further decreased by 14.1% as compared to enclosure-2.However,among all the configurations,enclosure-6 with wire-mesh fin structure exhibits minimum melting time which is 68.4% less as compared to the enclosure-1.Based on the findings,it may be concluded that fins are the main driving agent in the enclosure to transfer the heat from heated wall to the PCM.Proper design and positioning of the fins improve the heat transfer rate followed by melting of the PCM in the entire area of the enclosure.Evolution of the favourable vortices and natural convection current in the enclosure accelerate the melting phenomenon and help to reduce charging time.